Spring has sprung, the
river is rising, and when Luann Dupree, the head of River Bend's Historical
Society, vanishes into the night everyone in town is convinced she's run off
with her Internet Romeo. But her lifelong friend, Sarah Biddle, is convinced
Luann is the victim of foul play. No one believes her-not even her husband, the
local sheriff, so she turns to Helen Evans for help.

As River Bend's
resident puzzle-solver, Helen's tackled many a local mystery before. So she
agrees to help Sarah, even though she's not so sure herself that Luanne is
really in trouble. But as the town's flood waters slowly recede, dead fish and
muck aren't the only things Helen finds. She begins to uncover town secrets,
false identities…and the very real chance that Luanne might not be discovered
alive…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt
Two:

“It’s never too late in life to have a genuine adventure.”

Lu thought of the quote from an author whose book about
pirates she’d devoured. When had she experienced a genuine adventure? When had
she just thrown caution to the wind and let go?

She felt like all she did was dig into the past and discover
other people’s adventures. But what she did mattered, she reminded herself.
Uncovering the past and telling its stories was important for future generations.
What she left behind as director of the Historical Society—the artifacts, the
books, letters, diaries, and photographs—they lived on. They were her progeny.

Maybe it wasn’t the same as having a family and raising
children to unleash on the world, but it had to be enough.

With a sigh, she hesitated in front of the antique hall tree
that sat inside a small foyer just off the main entrance. She stared at her
weary face in the mirror and attempted a smile.

Her chin-length bob looked disheveled. Her eyes were puffy
and underscored by melted mascara. Her lipstick hadn’t lasted through her third
martini, much less one passionate kiss.

She had turned into a lightweight in her middle age, she
decided. She used to be able to handle her liquor without having to be put to
bed like a child. Try as she might, she could hardly remember a thing from the
night before beyond sitting at the bar and flirting with her newfound beau. It
was a very good thing that he had been such a gentleman, or she could have ended
up in dire straits.

“You’re not very adept at playing the party girl,” she told
herself and winced.

She was already dreading having to entertain the volunteers
who would show up at the Historical Society later that morning. Perhaps she’d
stay in bed and put a Do Not Disturb sign on the locked front door. Still, she
had her doubts that they’d go away. Most of the townsfolk she dealt with were
hardly the mousy live-and-let-live types. They were kind, yes, but bossy and
prone to interfering in everyone else’s business.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

SUSAN MCBRIDE
is the USA TODAY bestselling author of Blue Blood, the first of the Debutante
Dropout Mysteries. The award-winning series also includes The Good Girl’s Guide
to Murder, The Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club, Night of the Living Deb, and Too
Pretty to Die. She’s also the author of The Truth about Love & Lightning,
Little Black Dress, and The Cougar Club, all Target Recommended Reads. She
lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband and daughter.